The trial of the horrific rapes committed in Mazan, southern France, conceived, organized and filmed by Dominique Pelicot, has been transformed in recent days into the great trial of masculinity. This text is not about minimizing the seriousness of sexual violence, which is almost always perpetrated by men, whether their victims are male or female. In this context, especially since the #MeToo movement, men's voices are important: They count, and they should join in the collective outrage against sexual violence, especially rape.

However, blame directed at masculinity, sometimes by well-intentioned feminist men or theorists of "domination" and "patriarchy," is misguided. Some claim that the accused in the Mazan crimes represent "French society in miniature," a society still rooted in patriarchy and rape culture.

But patriarchy was primarily based on a family institution that is now a thing of the past, where the father had absolute power over his wife and children. As for "rape culture," the term is ambiguous in a country where, for half a century now, rape has been a crime punishable by stiff penalties, thanks to the courage of lawyer and politician Gisèle Halimi.

It is rightly said that "shame must change sides," meaning that the shame that weighed on the victim must now weigh solely on the rapist – to say the least. But some argue that men "in general" feel solidarity with rapists and should be "ashamed of their gender."

This interpretation of such a shocking event pits, like two warring armies, the "camp" of women against that of men, suspected of belonging to the male tribe of potential rapists, and therefore invited to publicly repent.

But could the Mazan crimes really have been committed by "any man?" It's doubtful.

Pornographic industry and prostitution networks

Blaming "masculinity" in this case diverts attention from the real problem of unspeakable sexual violence, associating it with the murky waters of non-consensual sex, which can sometimes be difficult to prove, such as marital rape.

The main defendant in the current trial is trying to downplay his responsibility by claiming that his wife sometimes "gave in" to his advances without ever complaining. This implies that she tacitly consented to her submission. Yet, contradictorily, he admitted that she categorically refused to engage in sexual acts with other men and that, to coerce her into such practices, he drugged her and handed her over to other men.

Pelicot is an obsessive, organized and manipulative rapist, who confesses his addiction to his "growing perversion." But which one?

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